Men Making Less than Spouse More Likely to Cheat

[mike r]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/16/tech/main6777762.shtml

Aug. 16, 2010
Men Making Less than Spouse More Likely to Cheat
Study: Adultery May be Man's Way of Restoring Gender Identity; Economically Dependent Men 5 Times More Likely to Cheat

(CBS) Men who earn less than their female partner are much more likely to cheat on them, according to a new study.

Cheating may be a man's way of restoring his gender identity when it is under threat, said Christin Munsch, a sociology PhD candidate at Cornell University who presented the report Monday at the annual American Sociological Association meeting. The study found that men who are financially dependent on their wives or girlfriends are five times more likely to cheat. Women who made much less than their male partners were less likely to cheat. "Men and women react very differently to economic dependency," Munsch told LiveScience.

Munsch surveyed heterosexual couples between the ages of 18 and 28 from 2001 to 2007. She asked three questions: One, whether the person was still in the relationship they'd been in the previous year; two, how many sexual partners the person had in the past year; and three, if the person had sex with strangers in the past year. Cheating was relatively rare: Only 3.8 percent of men and 1.4 percent of women admitted it. Women became more and more likely to cheat as their income increased in relation to their male partner's. Men, on the other hand, were most likely to cheat if they were economically dependent.

But men were also more likely to cheat if they made much more money than their female partners. Men who made 25 percent more than their partners were the most faithful. High earners in general were more likely to cheat. The findings held even when age, education level, income, religious attendance and relationship satisfaction were taken into account. Making more money may lead to more opportunities to cheat, Munsch said...

[flvegan]

1. Shoot, not me!! I'd be thrilled if she were more successful/made more.

More for both of us.

Hell, I'd be thrilled to be a kept man and marry rich. More Ferraris for me!

[seabeyond]

2. both genders cheat because they have a need to stroke their ego.

that may be the ultimate, bottomline reasoning for why they cheat.

so, ok.

[walldude]

6. Not true.. Men cheat because they are genetically

pre-disposed to want to screw everything in sight. The ones that don't cheat have just come out of the cave and managed to exert some form of self-control. Look at "Jesse James" the guy was married to freaking Sandra Bullock and cheated. Hugh Grant.. cheating on a supermodel with a streetwalker. Some men haven't quite managed to reconcile the little head with the big one.

I'm not a woman, but I would venture a guess to say that women, I think, cheat because they are looking for something they aren't getting from their husband. Whether it be emotional, psychological or sexual...

[seabeyond]

12. you are so full of shit. lol. 21% males cheat. 79% are not buying your genetically

predisposed mentality. the male cheats cause he has gotta. the female, well hell, she is just a bitch.

old and tired man

[pitohui]

20. the hugh grant thing...that was more than "a streetwalker"

his partner was either transgender or transvestite, can't recall exactly now, but in either case, he was cheating w. someone who could do what his regular girlfriend could not do

i can't be transgender, if my partner needs that, he has to step outside and i don't know how you can criticize someone for that (unless he isn't using safer sex techniques, then you have a legit complaint)

if your partner is bi, you prob. can't be both a man and a woman, you can only be what you are...

[proteus_lives]

7. Yep, ego and immaturity.

"Because I can"

There may be superficial reasons but at the core....

[seabeyond]

13. no, no, no.... per walldude, you cant help yourself. you do it, admit it, all men do.

oh lordy, shoot me now

i am having a rough day. lol. the mosque thing, and this.... noooooooo

[proteus_lives]

22. I have never bought that excuse.

And believe me, I've heard friends use it before.

I understand have powerful, physical reaction to a person but acting on them? No, it's a simple matter of self-control, maturity and respect/love for your partner. Also, respect for yourself.

[seabeyond]

16. anyway, with what you say +1. every. single. one. of. them. nt

[Hello_Kitty]

11. Notice the language in the article: men cheat to "restore" something.

Because their wives took it away from them.

[seabeyond]

14. well, fuck, when they are told since little that woman "make" them, "force" them, "drag" them

down the fuckin isle wearing a ball and chain.... wouldnt you think you were losing something.

jeeeezus

[daleo]

3. Making more money may lead to a sense of entitlement. n/t

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

4. Women making more than spouses also more likely to cheat

According to the article

[Cali_Democrat]

5. Maybe the woman who make more than men aren't around enough to satisfy their needs?

That may be a possible reason. It may have nothing with restoring gender identity.

[seabeyond]

15. maybe the reason she isnt around is cause he is lousy in bed and she doesnt

want to mess with him

i mean, wtf...

generally i find when a person makes a choice it is about them, not another person

[Cali_Democrat]

21. I meant if she isn't around because she works.

People who work a lot are usually very busy. Especially in this economy where companies are trying to squeeze as much productivity out of their workers as possible.

Usually you don't marry someone if the sex life sucks to begin with. LOL.

[Lance_Boyle]

8. Also more likely to receive rather than pay alimony after the divorce if wife makes more.

Now, I view alimony as a sort of legalized retroactive prostitution for either gender, but I guess what's good for the goose...

[Capitalocracy]

9. Do they cheat with women

who make less money than them?

[Barack2theFuture]

10. correlation is not causality

[SoCalDem]

17. My son & his wife take turns "making more than the other one"

Her review time is a few months before his, so for a few months of the year she makes more than he does.. :)

But, since they both make 6-figures, we always tell them to just count their blessings & keep on playing the game:)

[RaleighNCDUer]

18. They cheat because they are human.

They are no more naturally pre-disposed to monogamy than are bonobos.

[pitohui]

19. i've seen this & i can pretty much tell you why

the cases i've seen, the guy is a scrub from the get-go and he plays the "i'll be a stay at home dad" card not because he's actually gonna take care of the rug rat but because it gives him free time to chase tail, booze, and drugs while she's safely at work -- he knows he's safe from getting caught and can keep the scam going a long time

it's the pimp culture of i'll take a ride off this woman as long as she disrespects herself and puts up with it...

low earner women aren't "pimps" or "scrubs," they're just traditional women and they know that if they want to keep the $ coming, they need to be loyal to their man

but the pimp is completely about disrespect of the woman and taking her for every penny he can without working

don't get me wrong, i don't think it's right for women to sit at home while a man does all the work, i think ALL adults should work, assuming their contribution is desired in our society, but in the real world there's a LOT of unemployment out there and women haven't been hired in a lot of fields for so many decades (basically never), we don't have the same opportunities, so if a woman marries for the guy's steady job, i don't shit on that, but if a man does it...i'm a little squicked